Press Release: 7/14/2026

Boston Bar Foundation Invests More Than $2.1 Million to Expand Access to Justice Across Greater Boston

 



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BOSTON, MA – The Boston Bar Foundation (BBF), the charitable arm of the Boston Bar Association, announced today that it will award more than $2.1 million in legal services grants to 56 organizations serving Greater Boston during the 2026–2027 fiscal year. The funding will help expand access to legal assistance for thousands of individuals and families facing critical civil legal issues.



“At a time when so many people continue to face barriers to justice, these grants help ensure that legal assistance is available to those who need it most,” said BBF President Megan N. Gates. “We’re proud to support organizations across Greater Boston that provide life-changing legal services and advocacy for our communities every day.”



The organizations receiving BBF grants serve Greater Boston’s most vulnerable communities, including survivors of domestic violence, immigrants, incarcerated individuals, low-income workers, veterans, children, older adults, and families facing housing instability and other legal challenges. At a time when demand for civil legal aid continues to outpace available resources, these grants help strengthen the organizations working on the front lines to meet those needs.



The grants are funded through Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA), which generates revenue from attorneys’ client trust accounts to support civil legal aid. Those funds help provide legal representation to people who otherwise could not afford it in matters involving housing, family law, immigration, public benefits, education, discrimination, and other essential civil legal needs.



“The Boston Bar Foundation’s support is an investment in veterans at a time when so many are facing legal challenges that threaten their housing, families, finances, and overall well-being,” said Sarah Roxburgh, co-executive director of Veterans Legal Services. “No veteran should be left without access to the justice that they sacrificed to secure for all of us. We are immensely grateful to the Foundation for helping us respond to this vital community need.”



Among this this year’s grant recipients are four organizations that provide broad-based, general civil legal aid across multiple practice areas: :




  • Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) (Boston)

  • Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) (Boston)

  • MetroWest Legal Services (Framingham)

  • De Novo Center for Justice and Healing (Cambridge)



The BBF is also providing grants to fund legal services providers that focus specific issue areas and/ or discrete populations:



IMMIGRATION




  • Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR) (Boston)

  • Rian Immigrant Center (Boston)

  • Project Citizenship (Boston)

  • Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice (Cambridge)

  • Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) (Boston)

  • International Institute of New England (Boston)

  • Agencia ALPHA (Boston – South End)

  • Brazilian Worker Center (Boston – Allston)

  • Immigrant Family Services Institute (Boston – Mattapan)

  • Massachusetts Immigrant Collaborative (Boston)

  • New American Association of Massachusetts (Lynn)



DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE




  • Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (ATASK) (Boston)

  • Women’s Bar Foundation of Massachusetts (Boston)

  • Victim Rights Law Center (Boston)

  • Casa Myrna Vazquez (Boston – Dorchester)

  • Second Step (Newton)

  • HarborCOV (Chelsea)

  • DOVE Inc. (Quincy)

  • Saheli, Inc. (Woburn)

  • Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) (Cambridge)



HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS




  • Lawyers Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness (Boston)

  • Northeast Legal Aid (Lawrence)

  • La Colaborativa (Chelsea)

  • City Life/Vida Urbana (Boston – Jamaica Plain)

  • FamilyAid Boston (Boston)

  • Pine Street Inn (Boston – South End)

  • Housing Families, Inc. (Malden)

  • Women’s Lunch Place (Boston – Back Bay)

  • Rosie’s Place (Boston – South End)



YOUTH, CHILDREN AND EDUCATION




  • Massachusetts Advocates for Children (Boston)

  • Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (Lynn)

  • Youth Advocacy Foundation (Boston)

  • Center for Law and Education (Boston)

  • Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (Boston)

  • Strategies for Youth (Cambridge)

  • One Can Help (Newton)

  • Boston CASA (Boston)



HEALTH LAW




  • Legal Key Partnership for Health and Justice (Boston)

  • Health Law Advocates (Boston)

  • JRI Health Law Institute (Boston)



PRISONERS’ RIGHTS AND REENTRY




  • Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts (Boston)

  • Prison Book Program (Quincy)

  • InnerCity Weightlifting (Boston)



CIVIL RIGHTS & CONSUMER PROTECTION




  • Lawyers for Civil Rights (Boston)

  • Asian American Civic Association (Boston – Chinatown)



DISABILITY RIGHTS




  • Disability Law Center (Boston)



LABOR & EMPLOYMENT




  • Justice at Work (Boston)



VETERANS




  • Veterans Legal Services (Boston)



POLICY AND SYSTEMIC ADVOCACY




  • Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) (Boston)



ADDITIONAL GRANTEES




  • Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) (Boston – Roxbury)

  • Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston (Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts) (Boston)

  • Jewish Family & Children’s Service (Bet Tzedek Legal Services) (Waltham)